Page 53 of Grave Danger

“Hiya, Otis,” Cody said. “Like my new old ride?”

“Does it smell like lavender, Aqua Net, and Old Spice?”

Cody stopped at the bottom of the low porch, and Demmy did the same. “Holy shit, Otis. You totally nailed it. I haven’t been able to pin down the combination. I mean…” He looked at Demmy and shrugged before looking back at Otis. “The lavender and Aqua Net I got, yeah. But the Old Spice. That was the mystery.”

“How’d you know that?” Demmy asked.

Otis smiled. “I had a dating life before Amelia.”

“Well, hell,” Cody whispered, with a wince. “Shoot me now.”

“Wish I could, but I think I just died myself,” Demmy whispered back.

“Yeah, JoAnn was quite a lady.” Otis bounced on his toes a couple of times, eyes distant with memories. “I’ll miss her.”

“Nope. I wasn’t quite dead yet,” Demmy said under his breath. “That did the trick, though.”

“Anyway,” Otis said after a sigh, “Amelia’s down at Eileen’s keeping her company and playing nursemaid. You know which condo is hers?”

“Yeah, the one with the geraniums.” Cody gave a wave and turned away from the door as Jugs pulled his truck to the curb ahead of the Cadillac. “What took you so long?”

“We got caught at the light.” Jugs shook his head. “One traffic light in this damn town, and we caught the red.”

Agatha waved to Otis. “Hi, Otis.”

“Hi Aggie, hey there, Jugs.”

“Amelia’s not home?” Jugs asked Cody.

“She’s down at Eileen’s. Want to tag along?”

“Absolutely,” Jugs said with a big smile. “Eileen is the best.”

They walked the short distance to Eileen’s condo, nodding to the people they passed on porches and those walking small dogs or in groups with small weights in their hands.

“This is an active place,” Agatha said as they all stepped aside to allow another group of power walkers burning up the sidewalk to pass. “I’d like to live in a place like this right now rather than waiting until I’m in my seventies or eighties.”

“Your dogs would love it here,” Cody said, “all four of them.”

“Whoa there, Cody.” Agatha held up a hand as she smiled at Jugs. “Jugs and I haven’t even talked about moving in together.”

Before Cody could try to defend himself, which would have been a waste of breath since he’d plucked at that string on purpose, Demmy saved him.

“Hey, that looks like your brother’s car.”

The silver Toyota did look like Dave’s car. “I think it is. He and Ollie must be visiting as well.” Cody blew out a breath. “Guess it’s a party.”

“Don’t sound so excited,” Demmy said as he reached for Cody’s hand before turning up the driveway.

“Don’t you like your brother?” Agatha asked.

“I love my brother. It’s his fiancé I have trouble with sometimes.”

“You and Oliver would get along fine if you’d stop tormenting him,” Demmy said.

“Demetrius has a point,” Jugs said. When Cody looked at him over his shoulder, he held up his hands as if in surrender. “I’m just saying, I’ve seen how you interact with him. Oliver’s a good guy.”

“Yeah, I know,” Cody grumbled, thankful they’d arrived at the door, and he could end this conversation by ringing the bell.